User interface for a digital camera

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides a user interface for a digital camera such as a digital camera built into a smartphone or other multipurpose portable electronic device. The user interface simultaneously displays an electronic viewfinder image and at least one other image such as a previously captured image. The previously captured image is located within the electronic viewfinder image. Designated input causes the previously captured image to be enlarged from an initial size to an enlarged size.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

The present application is a continuation of non-provisional U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/405,040, filed Feb. 24, 2012, which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to user interfaces, and more particularlyto user interfaces for digital cameras.

BACKGROUND

Digital cameras, including digital cameras built into smartphones andother multipurpose portable electronic devices, are sometimes providedwith an electronic viewfinder in which a real-time or “live” image beingcaptured by a digital image sensor is displayed on a built-in display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a portable electronic device inaccordance with one example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2A to 6 are screenshots of a user interface for a digital camerain accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method for displaying an electronicviewfinder and other image data in accordance with one exampleembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which showexample embodiments of the present disclosure. For simplicity andclarity of illustration, reference numerals may be repeated among theFigures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Numerousdetails are set forth to provide an understanding of the exampleembodiments described herein. The example embodiments may be practicedwithout some of these details. In other instances, well-known methods,procedures, and components have not been described in detail to avoidobscuring the example embodiments described. The description is not tobe considered as limited to the scope of the example embodimentsdescribed herein.

Any reference to direction or orientation stated herein is forconvenience and is not intended to be limiting unless explicitly statedherein. Any directional references in relation to the graphical userinterface (GUI) are relative to the screen orientation of the GUI ratherthan a fixed point or reference on the host electronic device. The term“user interface” is sometimes used herein to refer to the GUI forconvenience.

The present disclosure relates to a user interface for a digital camerasuch as a digital camera built into a smartphone or other multipurposeportable electronic device. The user interface simultaneously displaysan electronic viewfinder comprising a real-time image within anelectronic viewfinder portion of the user interface and at least oneother image such as a previously captured image (for example, the lastimage taken). The previously captured image is located within theelectronic viewfinder portion. Designated input, such as a touchgesture, causes the previously captured image to be enlarged from aninitial size to an enlarged size.

The solution presented by the present disclosure allows the digitalcamera to remain active and ready to capture the next image whileallowing the user to preview or peek at a previously captured image at arelatively large size without switching over to a “replay” or “playback”mode in which a previously captured image is displayed on the fullscreen and the digital camera is inactive and unable to capture anotherimage. This solution also presents the possibility for improvedcomputational efficiencies by avoiding a separate playback mode and thedelay and processing cycle caused by switching between the playback modeand the camera mode.

In accordance with one example embodiment, there is provided a methodfor displaying an electronic viewfinder and other image data on anelectronic device, the method comprising: displaying a user interface onthe display, the user interface including a real-time image captured bya digital image sensor and displayed within an electronic viewfinderportion of the user interface and at least one other image within theelectronic viewfinder portion; and enlarging on the display the at leastone other image from an initial size to an enlarged size in response toa designated input signal.

In accordance with another example embodiment, there is provided agraphical user interface, comprising: an electronic viewfinder portionconfigured to display a real-time image on a display of an electronicdevice, the real-time image provided by a digital image sensor; and apreview portion located within the electronic viewfinder portiondisplaying at least one other image, wherein the preview portion isenlargeable from an initial size to an enlarged size in response to adesignated input signal.

In accordance with a further example embodiment, there is provided anelectronic device, comprising: a processor; a display coupled to theprocessor; and a digital image sensor coupled to the processor; whereinthe processor is configured for performing the method(s) set forthherein.

In accordance with yet a further embodiment of the present disclosure,there is provided a computer program product comprising a computerreadable medium having stored thereon computer program instructions forimplementing a method on an electronic device, the computer executableinstructions comprising instructions for performing the method(s) setforth herein.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1 which illustrates a portableelectronic device 101 (referred to hereinafter as merely electronicdevice 101 for convenience) in which example embodiments described inthe present disclosure can be applied. The electronic device 101described below has wireless communication capabilities, however, it iscontemplated that the teachings of the present disclosure may be appliedto devices without wireless communication capabilities. Examples of theelectronic device 101 include, but are not limited to, a mobile phone,smartphone or superphone, tablet computer, notebook computer (also knownas a laptop, netbook or ultrabook computer depending on the devicecapabilities), wireless organizer, personal digital assistant (PDA),electronic gaming device, and digital camera.

The electronic device 101 includes a rigid case (not shown) housing theelectronic components of the device 101. The electronic components ofthe device 101 are constructed on a printed circuit board (not shown).The electronic device 101 includes a controller comprising at least oneprocessor 102 (such as a microprocessor) which controls the overalloperation of the device 101. Communication functions, including data andvoice communications, are performed through a communication subsystem111. Data received by the electronic device 101 may be decompressed anddecrypted by a decoder 106. The communication subsystem 111 receivesmessages from and sends messages to a wireless network 100. The wirelessnetwork 100 may be any type of wireless network, including, but notlimited to, data wireless networks, voice wireless networks, andnetworks that support both voice and data communications.

The processor 102 interacts with other components, such as Random AccessMemory (RAM) 108, Read Only Memory (ROM) 110, a display 112 with atouch-sensitive overlay 114 operably connected to an electroniccontroller 116 that together comprise a touch-sensitive display 118,persistent (non-volatile) memory 144 such as flash memory, auxiliaryinput/output (I/O) subsystems 150, data port 152 such as serial dataport (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) data port), speaker 156,microphone 158, short-range communication subsystem 162, a digitalcamera 180, and other device subsystems generally designated as 164. Theelectronic device 101 may also include a keyboard and/or control buttons(not shown).

User-interaction with a graphical user interface (GUI) is performedthrough the touch-sensitive overlay 114. The processor 102 interactswith the touch-sensitive overlay 114 via the electronic controller 116.Information, such as text, characters, symbols, images, icons, and otheritems that may be displayed or rendered on a portable electronic device,is displayed on the touch-sensitive display 118 via the processor 102.The processor 102 may interact with an orientation sensor, such as anaccelerometer, to detect direction of gravitational forces orgravity-induced reaction forces so as to determine, for example, theorientation of the electronic device 101.

The processor 102 operates under stored program control and executessoftware modules 121 stored in memory such as persistent memory, forexample, in the persistent memory 144. As illustrated in FIG. 1, thesoftware modules 121 comprise operating system software 123 and softwareapplications 125. The software applications include a camera application172 and photo viewer application 174. The camera application 172contains the logic for operating the digital camera 180 and capturingimages and optionally video from the digital camera 180 and storing theimages and video in the persistent memory 144. The photo viewerapplication 174 contains logic for displaying data (i.e., images andoptionally video) from the persistent memory 144 and data from thedigital camera 180 on the display 112 in a seamless and integratedfashion as described more fully below. Persistent data 176, includinguser data, is also stored in the persistent memory 144. The persistentdata 176 includes any digital media files stored in the electronicdevice 101 such as still images and/or video clips (e.g., previouslycaptured images and videos or previously stored or downloaded images andvideos).

The software modules 121 or parts thereof may be temporarily loaded intovolatile memory such as the RAM 146. The RAM 146 is used for storingruntime data variables and other types of data or information. Althoughspecific functions are described for various types of memory, this ismerely one example, and a different assignment of functions to types ofmemory could also be used.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 101 also includes a removablememory card 130 (typically comprising persistent memory such as flashmemory) and a memory card interface 132. Network access is typicallyassociated with a subscriber or user of the electronic device 101 viathe memory card 130, which may be a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card for use in a GSM network or other type of memory card for use inthe relevant wireless network type. The memory card 130 is inserted inor connected to the memory card interface 132 of the electronic device101 in order to operate in conjunction with the wireless network 100.

The electronic device 101 also includes a battery 138 as a power source,which is typically one or more rechargeable batteries that may becharged, for example, through charging circuitry coupled to a batteryinterface such as the serial data port 152. The battery 138 provideselectrical power to at least some of the electrical circuitry in theelectronic device 101, and the battery interface 136 provides amechanical and electrical connection for the battery 138. The batteryinterface 136 is coupled to a regulator (not shown) which provides powerV+ to the circuitry of the electronic device 101.

A received signal, such as a text message, an e-mail message, or webpage download, is processed by the communication subsystem 104 and inputto the processor 102. The processor 102 processes the received signalfor output to the display 112 and/or to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 150.A subscriber may generate data items, for example e-mail messages, whichmay be transmitted over the wireless network 100 through thecommunication subsystem 111, for example.

The touch-sensitive display 118 may be any suitable touch-sensitivedisplay, such as a capacitive, resistive, infrared, surface acousticwave (SAW) touch-sensitive display, strain gauge, optical imaging,dispersive signal technology, acoustic pulse recognition, and so forth,as known in the art. In the presently described example embodiment, thetouch-sensitive display 118 is a capacitive touch-sensitive displaywhich includes a capacitive touch-sensitive overlay 114. The overlay 114may be an assembly of multiple layers in a stack which may include, forexample, a substrate, a ground shield layer, a barrier layer, one ormore capacitive touch sensor layers separated by a substrate or otherbarrier, and a cover. The capacitive touch sensor layers may be anysuitable material, such as patterned indium tin oxide (ITO).

The display 112 of the touch-sensitive display 118 includes a displayarea in which information may be displayed, and a non-display areaextending around the periphery of the display area. Information is notdisplayed in the non-display area, which is utilized to accommodate, forexample, electronic traces or electrical connections, adhesives or othersealants, and/or protective coatings around the edges of the displayarea.

One or more touches, also known as touch inputs, touch contacts or touchevents, may be detected by the touch-sensitive display 118.Alternatively, the processor 102 may be configured to detect one or moretouch gestures in accordance with touch data provided by thetouch-sensitive overlay 114. The processor 102 may determine attributesof the touch, including a location of a touch. Touch location data mayinclude an area of contact or a single point of contact, such as a pointat or near a center of the area of contact known as the centroid. Asignal is provided to the controller 116 in response to detection of atouch. A touch may be detected from any suitable object, such as afinger, thumb, appendage, or other items, for example, a stylus, pen, orother pointer, depending on the nature of the touch-sensitive display118. The location of the touch moves as the detected object moves duringa touch. The controller 116 and/or the processor 102 may detect a touchby any suitable contact member on the touch-sensitive display 118.Similarly, multiple simultaneous touches, are detected.

Different types of touch events are detected by the touch-sensitivedisplay 118. A touch and hold event is detected or recognized when atouch event occurs for a duration which is greater than or equal to athreshold duration. The threshold duration may be, for example, 400milliseconds in some embodiments. Other threshold durations arepossible. A tap event is detected or recognized when at least one touchevent occurs for a duration which is less than the threshold duration.

A one-finger touch and hold event occurs when a user touches aselectable onscreen item on the touch-sensitive display 118, such as abutton or menu item, with one finger and holds the finger in contactwith the touch-sensitive display 118 for a duration which exceeds thethreshold duration. A two-finger touch and hold event occurs when a usertouches a selectable onscreen item on the touch-sensitive display 118with two-fingers and holds both fingers in contact with thetouch-sensitive display 118 for a duration which exceeds the thresholdduration. Touching a selectable onscreen item comprises touching alocation of the touch-sensitive display 118 which is coincident with theselectable onscreen item displayed on the display 112. A location iscoincident with the selectable onscreen item in that the centroid of thetouch event is within an input area of the user interface screenassigned for receiving input for activating the selectable onscreenitem. The input area of the selectable onscreen item may be differentthan the displayed area of the selectable onscreen item on the displayscreen 112 in some embodiments, typically the input area being largerthan the displayed area in such embodiments to accommodate touch offsetof the user.

The term “touch gesture” is used herein to refer to a particular type oftouch event on a touch-sensitive display 118 that begins at an originpoint and continues to an end point. A touch gesture may be identifiedby attributes of the touch gesture, including the origin point, the endpoint, the distance traveled, the duration, the velocity, and thedirection, for example. A touch gesture may be long or short in distanceand/or duration. Two points of the touch gesture may be utilized todetermine a direction of the touch gesture.

A drag and hold gesture occurs when contact is maintained within thetouch-sensitive display 118 and the touch point (e.g., centroid of thetouch event) moves more than a threshold distance (typically measured inpixels). The drag and hold gesture ends when contact with thetouch-sensitive display 118 ends.

A swipe (also known as a flick) is one type of touch gesture. A swipehas a single direction. The touch-sensitive overlay 114 may evaluateswipes with respect to the origin point at which contact is initiallymade with the touch-sensitive overlay 114 and the end point at whichcontact with the touch-sensitive overlay 114 ends rather than using eachof location or point of contact over the duration of the touch gestureto resolve a direction. Examples of swipes include a horizontal swipe, avertical swipe, and a diagonal swipe. A horizontal swipe typicallycomprises an origin point towards the left or right side of thetouch-sensitive overlay 114 to initialize the touch gesture, ahorizontal movement of the detected object from the origin point to anend point towards the right or left side of the touch-sensitive overlay114 while maintaining continuous contact with the touch-sensitiveoverlay 114, and a breaking of contact with the touch-sensitive overlay114. Similarly, a vertical swipe typically comprises an origin pointtowards the top or bottom of the touch-sensitive overlay 114 toinitialize the touch gesture, a vertical movement of the detected objectfrom the origin point to an end point towards the bottom or top of thetouch-sensitive overlay 114 while maintaining continuous contact withthe touch-sensitive overlay 114, and a breaking of contact with thetouch-sensitive overlay 114.

Swipes can be of various lengths, can be initiated in various places onthe touch-sensitive overlay 114, and need not span the full dimension ofthe touch-sensitive overlay 114. In addition, breaking contact of aswipe can be gradual in that contact with the touch-sensitive overlay114 is gradually reduced while the swipe is still underway.

Meta-navigation touch gestures may also be detected by thetouch-sensitive display 118. A meta-navigation touch gesture is a touchgesture that has an origin point that is outside the display area of thetouch-sensitive display 118 and that moves to a position on the displayarea of the touch-sensitive display 118. Other attributes of the touchgesture may be detected and be utilized to detect the meta-navigationtouch gesture. Meta-navigation touch gestures may also includemulti-touch touch gestures in which touch gestures are simultaneous oroverlap in time and at least one of the touches has an origin point thatis outside the display area and moves to a position on the display areaof the touch-sensitive display 118. Thus, two fingers may be utilizedfor meta-navigation touch gestures. Further, multi-touch meta-navigationtouch gestures may be distinguished from single touch meta-navigationtouch gestures and may provide additional or further functionality.

The touch-sensitive display 118 is described herein in the context offingers of a device user for purposes of convenience only. As mentionedpreviously, a stylus or other object may be used for interacting withthe touch-sensitive display 118 depending on the type.

FIGS. 2A to 6 are screenshots of a user interface (UI) for the digitalcamera 180. FIG. 2A shows a UI screen having an electronic viewfinderportion 202 for the digital camera which displays a real-time or “live”image 203 (or an approximation of an image) being captured with thedigital camera 180, for example, by a digital image sensor (not shown)of the digital camera 180. In the shown embodiment, the electronicviewfinder portion 202 occupies all or substantially all of the viewablearea of the display 112. In other embodiments, the electronic viewfinderportion 202 could occupy a lesser portion of the display 112.

The UI screen also includes a reticule 204 located in the centre of thereal-time image 203 in the shown embodiment. The reticule 204 may beomitted in other embodiments. The reticule 204 identifies the centre ofthe real-time image and possibly the location of an autofocus point ofthe digital camera 180. The UI screen also includes a menu button 208for causing a menu for the digital camera 180 to be displayed and a modebutton 210 which indicates whether the digital camera 180 is in a stillimage mode or video camera mode and causing toggling or switchingbetween the still image mode and video camera mode.

Interacting with the menu button 208 causes the menu UI screen to bedisplayed in the display 112 for interaction therewith. Interacting withthe mode button 210 toggles the electronic device 101 between the stillimage mode and video camera mode. Interacting with the menu button 208and mode button 210 may comprise corresponding touch inputs or events.Interacting also causes the appearance of the mode button 210 to changedepending on whether the electronic device 101 is in the still imagemode and/or video camera mode. In the shown embodiment, when theelectronic device 101 is in the still image mode, the mode button 210includes an icon or other pictorial representation of a still cameraicon as shown in FIG. 2A. When the electronic device 101 is in the videocamera mode, the mode button 210 includes an icon or other pictorialrepresentation of a video camera. Other UI schemes to represent thecurrent mode are possible and may be used in other embodiments.

FIG. 2B illustrates another embodiment in which the mode button 210includes a still camera icon 216 and video camera icon 214. Interactingwith the mode button 210 causes a corresponding one of the still cameraicon 216 and video camera icon 214 to be changed to an active state, andthe other of the still camera icon 216 and video camera icon 214 to bechanged to an inactive state depending on whether the electronic device101 is in the still image mode and/or video camera mode. In the shownembodiment, the electronic device 101 is in the still image mode and thestill camera icon 216 is in the active state. The active state of thestill camera icon 216 and video camera icon 214 may be less transparentand/or a different colour than the inactive state, among other possibleUI schemes.

The real-time image 203 displayed in the electronic viewfinder portion202 can be “taken”, i.e. stored in the persistent memory 144, inresponse to the electronic device 101 receiving designated input. Thecapture image is typically stored with metadata describing the image,such as the date and time the image was captured. When an image is takenwith the digital camera 180, the captured image or an approximationthereof may be displayed in the electronic viewfinder portion 202 for aset amount of time (e.g., 1 or 2 seconds, etc.) after which the capturedimage is no longer displayed and the real-time image 203 is againdisplayed in the electronic viewfinder portion 202. The captured imageor an approximation thereof is then displayed in a preview portion 206within the electronic viewfinder portion 202. In the shown embodiment,the preview portion 206 is located towards a bottom left of theelectronic viewfinder portion 202. In other embodiments, the previewportion 206 could be located elsewhere within the electronic viewfinderportion 202.

When no previously captured image exists, the preview portion 206 may berepresented as an empty box of the same size as an initial size of thepreview portion 206, or a default image such as a previously stored(e.g., pre-stored) or downloaded image may be displayed within thepreview portion 206. Alternatively, when no previously captured imageexists the preview portion 206 may be omitted.

The captured image may be stored remotely in addition to, or instead of,the persistent memory 144. Remote storage of captured images andoptionally videos may be implemented, at least in part, as a cloud basedsolution in which a plurality of electronic devices 101 share resources,e.g. content servers (not shown). The user accesses captured imagesthrough a thin client on the electronic device 101. The majority of theprocessing logic and data is stored on the shared resources (e.g.,servers) at a remote location. Cloud computing may allow access fromnearly any electronic device 101 having access to the Internet or otherconnecting communications network.

Designated enlargement input, detected by the electronic device 101, cancause the image displayed in the preview portion 206 to be enlarged froman initial size, such as a default display size, to an enlarged sizelarger than the initial size. The image displayed in the preview portion206 is typically a thumbnail (e.g., reduced size/resolution version) ofthe captured image for graphical processing efficiency. The thumbnailmay change from a lower-sized image in the initial size to a relativehigher-sized image (relative to the initial size) in the enlarged sizein response to the designated enlargement input.

In at least some embodiments, the initial size and aspect ratio of thepreview portion 206 and the image displayed in the preview portion 206may be fixed regardless of the aspect ratio of the captured image whichis displayed within the preview portion 206. For example, the aspectratio of the preview portion 206 and the image displayed in the previewportion 206 may be fixed at 1:1. When the aspect ratio of the sourceimage is different than the fixed aspect ratio of the preview portion206, the image displayed within the preview portion 206 is typicallycropped so that the displayed image matches the fixed aspect ratio.Cropping is less intensive in terms of graphics processing than resizingthe source image and avoids distortion of the source image, which wouldnegate some of the benefits of the preview portion 206.

When the designated enlargement input is detected, the aspect ratio ofthe preview portion 206 and the image displayed in the preview portion206 may be changed to match that of the source image if it is differentthan the fixed aspect ratio of the preview portion 206 (which could be,for example, 4:3 or 16:9 among other possibilities). This allows theuser to see the full source image which was previously cropped, andallows the preview portion 206 to be of fixed size and aspect ratioregardless of the aspect ratio of the source image, creatingefficiencies in terms of graphics processing and user adoption.

In the described embodiments the designated enlargement input is a touchgesture, however, a tap or other touch event or other designatedenlargement input could be used in other embodiments. The designatedtouch gesture, in at least some embodiments, is a drag and hold gesturehaving a start point in or near the preview portion 206. It iscontemplated that the designated touch gesture can be performed on aportion of the real-time image 203 if within a threshold distance of thepreview portion 206. In some embodiments, the touch gesture may be morespecific in terms of the location of the start point, end point,direction of movement (directionality of the touch gesture), distance oftravel of the gesture, or a combination thereof.

In one example embodiment, the designated touch gesture is a drag andhold gesture having a start point in or near the preview portion 206, atravel distance which extends at or beyond a threshold distance, and anend point in the real-time image 203 of the electronic viewfinderportion 202. In other embodiments, only one of the travel distance andend point are specified parameters. In embodiments in which the previewportion 206 is located towards a bottom left of the electronicviewfinder portion 202 as in the shown embodiment, the designated touchgesture may be a touch gesture having a start point located in the upperright quadrant of the preview portion 206 and a direction of movementaway from the preview portion 206 (e.g., towards the centre of theelectronic viewfinder portion 202). A threshold distance of travel mayalso be defined. A suitable threshold distance may be, for example, 50pixels.

In FIG. 3, a touch event caused by a user touching the touch-sensitivedisplay 118 has been detected by the electronic device 101 in or nearthe preview portion 206 as indicated by the reference 300. The touchevent is shown for illustration only and would not be displayed on theuser interface in most if not all instances.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show a progression of movement of the touch event 300 fromthe start point in FIG. 3 to an end point in FIG. 6 and in which thepreview portion 206 is enlarged from the initial size shown in FIGS. 2and 3 to an enlarged size in FIG. 6. In FIG. 5, the reticule 204 ispartially occluded by the preview portion 206 and in FIG. 6 the reticule204 is completely occluded by the preview portion 206. However, in bothFIGS. 5 and 6 a portion of the electronic viewfinder portion 202 remainsun-occluded. This permits the user to concurrently assess the real-timeimage 203 while viewing the enlarged preview portion 206.

The preview portion 206 may be enlarged by a fixed amount or by anamount proportional to the distance of the touch point from the startpoint. When the preview portion 206 is enlarged by a fixed amount, thepreview portion 206 may make a transition from the initial size shown inFIG. 2A directly to the enlarged sized shown, for example, in FIG. 6.Typically, the preview portion 206 would enlarge by a smooth transition(e.g., animated). However, the preview portion 206 could jump from theinitial size shown in FIG. 2A to the enlarged size shown in FIG. 6. Itwill be appreciated, however, that the amount of enlargement may varyeven when enlarged by a fixed amount, for example, based on userconfigurable settings. When the preview portion 206 is enlargedproportionally, the preview portion 206 transitions from the initialsize shown in FIG. 2A to an enlarged sized such as that shown in one ofFIGS. 4 to 6. The preview portion 206 may be enlarged in set intervalsbased on the travel distance of the touch point, or may be enlargedprogressively, pixel-by-pixel. The enlargement may maintain the aspectratio of the initial size or may permit the aspect ratio to change basedon a vector formed by the moved touch point. Conversely, if the touchpoint is moved backwards towards the start point, the size of thepreview portion 206 may be reduced in accordance with the distance ofthe moved touch point from the start point. Thus, the preview portion206 and the image displayed within the preview portion 206 is resized byan amount proportional to a distance between a current location of atouch point of the touch gesture from a start point of the touchgesture.

In at least some embodiments, the amount of enlargement is limited by aset maximum to avoid occluding the entire electronic viewfinder portion202. In other embodiments, the preview portion 206 can be enlarged untilthe preview portion 206 occupies the full screen or substantially thefull screen, at which point the electronic device 101 changes from thecamera mode implemented by the camera application 172 to a photo viewermode implemented by the camera application 174 (sometimes referred to asthe camera roll). Images, such as previously captured images from thedigital camera 180 or optionally other images, may be viewed on thedisplay 112 in the photo viewer mode. The last captured image istypically displayed by default when entering the photo viewer mode.Other images may be viewed in response to corresponding selection input.For example, in at least some embodiments, a preceding image is selectedand displayed in response to a left swipe (if a preceding image exists)and a succeeding image is selected and displayed in response todetection of a right swipe (if a succeeding image exists). The otherimages may be stored locally or remotely as described above withoutchanging user interface screens.

In some embodiments, tapping the preview portion 206, for example fromthe user interface screen of any one of FIGS. 2 to 6, causes theelectronic device 101 to change from the camera mode implemented by thecamera application 172 to the photo viewer mode implemented by thecamera application 174.

In other embodiments, the designated enlargement input which can causethe image displayed in the preview portion 206 to be enlarged from theinitial size to the enlarged size is a tap in or near the previewportion 206. Other designated enlargement input may be used in yet otherembodiments.

The reticule 204, preview portion 206, menu button 208 and mode button210 may be implemented individually or collectively (in whole or inpart) as a layer which overlays the real-time image 203 (known as anoverlay) for efficiency of graphics processing.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method 700 for displaying an electronicviewfinder and other image data in accordance with one exampleembodiment of the present disclosure. The method 700 may be carried out,at least in part, by software such as the camera application 172,executed by the processor 102. Coding of software for carrying out sucha method 700 is within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in theart provided the present disclosure. The method 700 may containadditional or fewer processes than shown and/or described, and may beperformed in a different order. Computer-readable code executable by atleast one processor 102 of the electronic device 101 to perform themethod 700 may be stored in a computer-readable medium such as thepersistent memory 144.

A user interface for the digital camera 180 provided by the cameraapplication 172 is displayed on the touch-sensitive display 118 (702),for example, in response to received input. The received input may bedepression of a control button or key which is designated for causingthe electronic device 101 to enter a camera mode. The user interface isthe same or similar to the user interface described above in connectionwith FIGS. 2 to 6. The user interface may also include a frame or borderwhich surrounds and frames the perimeter of the content area. The userinterface screen may be displayed in a frame or window in the GUI or ina full screen format in which the user interface occupies the entiredisplay area.

The electronic device 101 detects various inputs received via the inputdevices such as the touch-sensitive display 118 (704). Detection mayoccur passively in response to interrupts from the various inputdevices, or may occur actively in response to monitoring and analysingoutput from the various input devices depending on the type and natureof the input device. The electronic device 101 identifies touch gesturesbased on predetermined touch gesture criteria, such as predeterminedtouch gesture patterns, recognized by the electronic device 101.

The preview portion 206 is enlarged from an initial size to an enlargedsize (706) when designated enlargement gesture (or other designatedenlargement input) is detected. The amount of enlargement may beproportional to a distance of travel of the touch gesture, potential upto a set maximum to avoid occluding the entire electronic viewfinderportion 202. As described above, the designated enlargement input is adrag and hold gesture in at least some embodiments. In some of theembodiments, the preview portion 206 returns to the initial size (e.g.,a default size) from the enlarged size when the drag and hold gestureends (e.g., when the user releases or lifts his/her finger from thetouch-sensitive display 118).

In other embodiments, the preview portion 206 and the image displayedwithin the preview portion 206 may be maintained at the enlarged size.Further input may return the preview portion 206 and the image displayedwithin the preview portion 206 to the initial size or other reducedsize.

A new image for the preview portion 206 is selected and displayed withinthe preview portion 206 when a designated image selection gesture forselecting of a new image for the preview portion 206 is detected (708).This allows a user to preview images other than the last captured image(e.g., one or more images previously captured with the digital camera180 or potentially other images). The other images may be stored locallyor remotely as described above without changing user interface screens.Instead, the user can swipe to preview a different image. This step isoptional and may not be performed in all embodiments. The selecting ofthe new image may be based on a direction of the touch gesture.

In some embodiments, the image selection gesture is performed outside ofthe preview portion 206 or at least has a start point outside of thepreview portion 206 to simplify the differentiation between theenlargement gesture and image selection gesture for the electronicdevice 101 and the device user.

In some embodiments, a preceding image is selected in response to a leftswipe (if a preceding image exists) and a succeeding image is selectedin response to detection of a right swipe (if a succeeding imageexists). A preceding image is an image which precedes the currentlypreviewed in order, typically chronological order of the date and timethe image was captured (or stored if image capture date is not availableor applicable) but possibly alphabetical order based on file name orother suitable ordering of the images. A succeeding image is an imagewhich succeeds the currently previewed in order, typically chronologicalorder of the date and time the image was captured (or stored if imagecapture date is not available or applicable) but possibly alphabeticalorder based on file name or other suitable ordering of the images. Theselecting may be proportional to the travel distance of the touchgesture. For example, the electronic device 101 may select an image nposition from a position of currently displayed image in the imageorder, where n=travel distance (pixels)/set interval length (pixels) perposition.

While the present disclosure is described, at least in part, in terms ofmethods, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that thepresent disclosure is also directed to the various components forperforming at least some of the aspects and features of the describedmethods, be it by way of hardware components, software or anycombination of the two, or in any other manner. Moreover, the presentdisclosure is also directed to a pre-recorded storage device or othersimilar computer readable medium including program instructions storedthereon for performing the methods described herein.

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the subject matter of the claims. The described exampleembodiments are to be considered in all respects as being onlyillustrative and not restrictive. The present disclosure intends tocover and embrace all suitable changes in technology. The scope of thepresent disclosure is, therefore, described by the appended claimsrather than by the foregoing description. All changes that come withinthe meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to beembraced within their scope.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for displaying an electronicviewfinder on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device having adigital image sensor for capturing images, the method comprising:displaying a camera user interface on the touch-sensitive display whenthe electronic device is in a camera mode, the camera user interfaceincluding an electronic viewfinder for displaying a real-time imagecaptured by the digital image sensor and a preview portion fordisplaying a previously captured image that partially overlays theelectronic viewfinder, resizing the preview portion of the camera userinterface while the electronic viewfinder is maintained on a remainderof the touch-sensitive display in response to a designated touchgesture, wherein the preview portion is resized by an amountproportional to a distance from a start point of the designated touchgesture within the preview portion; and selecting and displaying a newimage in response to detecting an image selection gesture having a startpoint outside of the preview portion, wherein a preceding image isselected and displayed in response to detecting the image selectiongesture being in a first direction and a succeeding image is selectedand displayed in response to detecting the image selection gesture beingin a second direction.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the previouslycaptured image is a last captured image.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the preview portion is located towards a corner of theelectronic viewfinder.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the previouslycaptured image changes from a smaller and lower resolution image to arelatively larger and higher resolution image as the distance isincreased and the previously captured image changes from a larger andhigher resolution image to a relatively smaller and lower resolutionimage as the distance is decreased.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinthe designated touch gesture is a drag and hold gesture.
 6. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: changing from the camera mode to a photoviewer mode for viewing previously captured images in response to thepreview portion being enlarged to a full screen size, wherein thechanging comprises changing the displayed user interface on thetouch-sensitive display from the camera user interface to a photo vieweruser interface screen.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:changing from the camera mode to a photo viewer mode for viewingpreviously captured images in response to detecting a tap event in thepreview portion, wherein the changing comprises changing the displayeduser interface on the touch-sensitive display from the camera userinterface to a photo viewer user interface screen.
 8. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the previously captured image is initially displayedwithin the photo viewer user interface screen.
 9. The method of claim 8,further comprising: within the photo viewer user interface screen,selecting and displaying a preceding image within the photo viewer userinterface screen in response to detecting an image selection gesture ina first direction; within the photo viewer user interface screen,selecting and displaying a succeeding image within the photo viewer userinterface screen in response to detecting an image selection gesture ina second direction.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the imageselection gesture in a first direction is a left swipe and the imageselection gesture in a second direction is a right swipe.
 11. Agraphical user interface for a camera mode displayed on atouch-sensitive display of an electronic device in the camera mode, theelectronic device having a digital image sensor for capturing images,the graphical user interface comprising: an electronic viewfinderconfigured to display a real-time image captured by a digital imagesensor; and a preview portion configured to display a previouslycaptured image that partially overlays the electronic viewfinder,wherein a size of the preview portion of the camera user interface isresizable in response to a designated touch gesture while the electronicviewfinder is maintained on a remainder of the touch-sensitive display,wherein the preview portion of the camera user interface is resized byan amount proportional to a distance from a start point of thedesignated touch gesture within the preview portion, the graphical userinterface configured to select and display a new image in response todetecting an image selection gesture having a start point outside of thepreview portion, wherein a preceding image is selected and displayed inresponse to detecting the image selection gesture being in a firstdirection and a succeeding image is selected and displayed in responseto detecting the image selection gesture being in a second direction.12. An electronic device, comprising: a processor; a touch-sensitivedisplay coupled to the processor; a digital image sensor coupled to theprocessor; wherein the processor is configured to: display a camera userinterface on the touch-sensitive display when the electronic device isin a camera mode, the camera user interface including an electronicviewfinder configured to display a real-time image captured by thedigital image sensor and a preview portion configured to display apreviously captured image that partially overlays the electronicviewfinder, the electronic viewfinder and the preview portion beingmaintained on the touch-sensitive display while the electronic device isin the camera mode; and resize the preview portion of the camera userinterface while the electronic viewfinder is maintained on a remainderof the touch-sensitive display in response to a designated touchgesture, wherein the preview portion is resized by an amountproportional to a distance from a start point of the designated touchgesture within the preview portion, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to select and display a new image in response to detecting animage selection gesture having a start point outside of the previewportion, wherein a preceding image is selected and displayed in responseto detecting the image selection gesture being in a first direction anda succeeding image is selected and displayed in response to detectingthe image selection gesture being in a second direction.
 13. Theelectronic device of claim 12, wherein the previously captured imagechanges from a smaller and lower resolution image to a relatively largerand higher resolution image as the distance is increased and thepreviously captured image changes from a larger and higher resolutionimage to a relatively smaller and lower resolution image as the distanceis decreased.
 14. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein thedesignated touch gesture is a drag and hold gesture having a start pointwithin the preview portion.
 15. The electronic device of claim 12,wherein the processor is further configured to change from the cameramode to a photo viewer mode for viewing previously captured images inresponse to the preview portion being enlarged to a full screen size,wherein the changing comprises changing the displayed user interface onthe touch-sensitive display from the camera user interface to a photoviewer user interface screen.
 16. The electronic device of claim 12,wherein the processor is further configured to change from the cameramode to a photo viewer mode for viewing previously captured images inresponse to detecting a tap event in the preview portion, wherein thechanging comprises changing the displayed user interface on thetouch-sensitive display from the camera user interface to a photo vieweruser interface screen.
 17. The electronic device of claim 15, whereinthe previously captured image is initially displayed within the photoviewer user interface screen.
 18. The electronic device of claim 12,wherein the preview portion is located towards a corner of theelectronic viewfinder.
 19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:cropping the previously captured image from an original aspect ratio toa cropped aspect ratio which matches an aspect ratio of the previewportion at a default size when the original aspect ratio is differentthan the aspect ratio of the preview portion; wherein the previouslycaptured image is displayed in the cropped aspect ratio when the previewportion is at a default size.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein thepreviously captured image changes from a cropped image in the croppedaspect ratio to a full size image in the original aspect ratio inresponse to designated enlargement input.
 21. The method of claim 1,wherein the preview portion is located towards a bottom left corner ofthe electronic viewfinder.
 22. The method of claim 1, wherein theelectronic viewfinder occupies all of the touch-sensitive display andthe preview portion is configured to display a single previouslycaptured image that partially overlays the electronic viewfinder. 23.The method of claim 5, wherein the drag and hold gesture comprises aswipe.
 24. The method of claim 14, wherein the drag and hold gesturecomprises a swipe.
 25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storingprogram instructions that when executed by a computer, cause thecomputer to perform a method for displaying an electronic viewfinder ona touch-sensitive display of an electronic device having a digital imagesensor for capturing images, the method comprising: displaying a camerauser interface on the touch-sensitive display when the electronic deviceis in a camera mode, the camera user interface including an electronicviewfinder for displaying a real-time image captured by the digitalimage sensor and a preview for displaying a previously captured imagethat partially overlays the electronic viewfinder, resizing the previewportion of the camera user interface while the electronic viewfinder ismaintained on a remainder of the touch-sensitive display in response toa designated touch gesture, wherein the preview portion is resized by anamount proportional to a distance from a start point of the designatedtouch gesture within the preview portion; and selecting and displaying anew image in response to detecting an image selection gesture having astart point outside of the preview portion, wherein a preceding image isselected and displayed in response to detecting the image selectiongesture being in a first direction and a succeeding image is selectedand displayed in response to detecting the image selection gesture beingin a second direction.